CAREC Institute Hosts Inaugural Road Working Group Meeting in Urumqi

The CAREC Institute (CI) successfully hosted the inaugural CAREC Road Working Group (WG) meeting at its Urumqi headquarters from March 11 to 12. Endorsed by the CAREC Ministerial Conference, the Road Working Group aims to oversee CAREC initiatives relating to road maintenance and sustainability, road asset management systems, and road safety outcomes.

The first meeting brought together government representatives from CAREC member countries, along with representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and CI.

The meeting discussed a wide range of road sector topics, such as integrating road safety risk management into road investments, the ADB Green Road Toolkit for sustainable road development, CAREC transport modeling, and border facility upgrades. Member countries exchanged practical experience: Tajikistan showcased its road asset management practices, and Uzbekistan presented its efforts to build climate-resilient rural road networks. Country delegations also provided the latest updates on national road development progress. CI shared insights on digitalizing transport corridors and key findings from the Institute’s research projects. The working group also had in-depth discussions on its upcoming work plan and capacity-building needs.

Following the working group meeting, the ADB Transport Team met with CI’s management team and relevant divisions to discuss collaboration opportunities to further align CI’s research and capacity-building initiatives with CAREC’s transport priorities to deliver more impactful regional projects.

On March 13, ADB experts hosted a training session on transport modeling, with participation from local universities and enterprises.

Hosting the inaugural Road WG meeting marks an important step for CI to strengthen its partnership with the ADB, align its work with regional transport development goals, and deepen engagement with stakeholders from member countries.